However, after a judge heard the unusual background to the case, he suspended the prison sentence.

During his sentencing hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Lind, who has never been in trouble before, said: “As his illness became more prevalent and his ability to fend for himself became diminished, his desire to involve the family, particularly my brothers and I, in trying to gain consensus about when he would be able to end his life, by what manner and by what means and with whose assistance, became a regular talking point – for want of a better expression.

“He was becoming more and more infirm, he wanted the comfort of knowing he could, with our support, end his life in a manner and at a time of his own choice.”

The court heard Mr Lind always kept the relic out of harm’s way in a locked safe.

Lind said it was in 2010 he realised his father's safe was open and took the opportunity to remove the gun before it fell into the wrong hands or his father decided to use it.

When asked why he took the chance to seize the gun, Lind said: “Because I had spent the last however many years minimising the risk to my parents, to my dad in particular, by removing anything that was a potential risk; whether it be a car key in the early days and latterly whether it was a gun or a device with which he could administer barbiturates. I was just absolutely at my wits’ end.”

Lind, 50, of Beach Court, Darras Hall, admitted possessing a prohibited weapon and also admitted producing a small amount of cannabis plants. He was given a 51-week prison sentence suspended for two years with 200 hours of unpaid work.